As most of you are settling into your new life at school, or returning for a new semester - it's time to get your video cameras out for the 2012 Travel Video Contest! It's back again, and with a $4,000 grand prize - it's an event you do not want to miss! The deadline is 31 October so you still have enough time.

We are also excited to tell you about the new student flight search below, which offers the cheapest student flights available anywhere.

The 2012 travel video contest is well under way, and already there has been immense interest from students all around the world, eager to get their videos in production and ready for our deadline. The grand prize this year is $4,000 - so get your cameras rolling!

The format is simple - in 5 minutes or less, tell us about your planned study abroad trip, or if you are already studying abroad, about any trip at all that you would like to take.

You can be as imaginative and creative as you want to be in your video, but make sure you check out all of the rules and guidelines for your video and its submission. You might even want to take a look at previous years' winners and entrants, to see how good you have to be to win.

The deadline is October 31st, and for full information and rules please see our contest website.

In the heart of the South lies a state where the sun always shines, the people are friendly, and the picturesque scenery never ends. It's the great state of Mississippi. This state's all-American charm attracts students from all over the world. Over the past decade, thousands of international students have gone to study in Mississippi, fascinated by the state's interesting history, remarkable culture, and impressive academics.

If you want to get a taste of the southern lifestyle - then consider studying in Mississippi. The StudyMississippi Consortium is the best place to start, as there is information on many universities and high schools in Mississippi.

Last month we updated the student airfare tool that we use on our travel center, making it much easier to search for flights from all around the world. The new tool, in partnership with Student Universe, allows you to search for specially discounted flights that are just available to students - on many routes, especially internationally, they can save you money when compared to shopping directly with the airlines! Check out the new tool today and for your trip home, or maybe that trip over Christmas vacation, you can book it with us and save money!

We often talk about loans for international students coming to the US, which are readily available if you have a US co-signer. US students going abroad can also access loans. However, in many parts of the world, student loans are not available at all. Even in Europe, efforts to create a pan-European student loan have been thwarted by complex regulations, as this story from the New York Times illustrates:

When Ivailo Vasilev of Bulgaria was accepted at the London School of Economics two years ago, he calculated that he would need tens of thousands of British pounds that he did not have as a recent university graduate to pay tuition and other costs.

So he decided, like countless others, to take out a student loan. It would be more complicated than he expected. He was not eligible for a student loan in Britain because he did not fulfill a three-year residency requirement, but there were few options in his home country.

This month we have a posting from an international student looking for immigration advice:

Here is my situation - I'm an F-1 student, I'm in the US to pursue a Master's degree. After a couple of weeks I realized I chose the wrong school and I want to transfer. I got admitted to another school that I like better. I spoke to the DSO at the first school to ask him to release my SEVIS records, so the DSO at the other institution can start the transfer process, but this person is refusing to release my records. According to the Bursar's office I owe 1 week of tuition, a total of $3100, which I found ridiculous, so I'm refusing to pay.
My question is: Does the DSO has the power to refuse to release my SEVIS records since I don't want to pay? I would assume that my immigration records and my bills are two different matters, and he should release my records no matter what.. then the Bursar is free to sue me or whatever, but I don't think they can "lock" my SEVIS records.

If you would like to add a response, or help this international student, please visit our forums and post a response.

Our fun site of the month for October is the History Channel's "This Day in History" page profiling major events from around the world that happened on that day. Each day you get a main article of one of the main events from that same date in history, along with a brief video introduction, and then down the left you have all the major events that happened over the years. If you are a history buff, it's certainly something you will want to bookmark, but even if you are not a huge history fan, it's still a fun page to visit!

Have you taken a look at our study centers recently? If you have not visited our site in the last few months, you will have missed the huge transformation that is underway with this section. Originally the study centers were your place to get information, advice and help with studying in the USA, Australia, UK and for study abroad students. That same great content is still there - but we have now added study center subjects! You can read all about studying business as an international student, studying journalism, engineering.....the list goes on! Be sure to stop by and check it out today!